Candy? Cake? Candycake!

Our annual cake auction is this Sunday at church and I always make Josiah's favorite birthday cake.

 But this year, I wanted to try something a little different.  Also, I may not have been in the mood to bake.  So I made a candy cake.
 
I grabbed seven boxes of the boxed movie theater candy from Walmart, a box of Airheads and a bag of Halloween candy. 

I stood the boxes on end in a circle and taped them together with clear packing tape.  I also added a couple of small pieces of tape underneath the boxes and between the cake board to keep it from shifting.

Then lay out your Airheads and tape them along the back.  Add an additional piece of tape to the bottom facing out so that it will stick to the inside of the candy box circle.

 

 

Now you have a candy circle with a big hole in the middle. 



 

 

Fill the hole with your remaining Airheads and top with the little candy bars.  To be honest, it was a huge hole so I also put the empty Airheads box in, then stuffed the sides and top with all the candy.  I didn't want to go back to the store.

 

 

 

Add a ribbon and that's it.

 





Candycake!

Fill Your Freezer Week 3: Dinner Time.

 

 

Are your freezers getting full?  Mine too!

 

Dinner is usually an easier one to prep.  It's mostly making a large batch of your recipe and dividing it into separate bags.  I'll make one big batch of marinade then when I want steak or chicken, I'll just throw a bag into the fridge to thaw in the morning and grill dinner the same night.   This really is the least time consuming of all the freezer cooking I'm attacking this month. 

 

Here's my plan:

 

Kidtastic grilled chicken legs - substituting honey for sugar in recipe.

Marinated chicken and steak - using my favorite marinade here

Cooked shredded chicken

No boil cheese manicotti

Cooked ground beef - I'm actually canning this in about three weeks when we get the cow back.  No use wasting the freezer space. 

 

We're taking one of our cows to the butcher on Monday.  It has to hang for a while before it's processed so we won't get it back for a few weeks.  My plan is to can 75% of the ground beef on this one.  I use a lot of browned ground beef in recipes so why not do the work all at once.  Plus, I don't use up precious freezer space.  Gotta love that. 

 

A little bit of time now will make life just a little easier when all the Fall craziness starts!



Four Weeks to Fill Your Freezer

That's right! 
In the next four weeks, I'll be making lots of great things to toss into the freezer.  Why?  Well, it just makes back to school season - and life in general - a little easier. 

We all know that homemade foods are not just better for our budgets, they're better for our health.  So by spending a few hours each week over the next four weeks, I'm going to fill my freezer with breakfast, lunch, dinner starters and snacks to help lessen the crazy that always accompanies starting school again.

This week, I'm focusing on breakfasts. 

Here's the plan:

Egg & sausage breakfast burritos
English muffins
Waffles
Banana chocolate chip muffin mixes
Granola

I finished the breakfast burritos yesterday in less than 30 minutes.  My plan is to make the granola in the slow cooker and English muffins in the bread machine tomorrow while I'm cleaning corn to can.  That will just leave the mixes and waffles for later this week. 

Next week we'll be focusing on lunches. 

Hope you'll join me!

Christmas in April?

Why yes, it is Spring and I am starting on my Christmas gifts.

But only because it will take six months to make these gifts.

What am I making?  Homemade Vanilla Extract!  And it's easy.

Here's what you'll need:

One bottle of 80 proof vodka
Vanilla beans

I ordered our beans from Amazon - they had the best price.  Ronnie was in charge of going to the ABC store.  We took the recommendation of the man working there for the best choice for our project.  It wasn't the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive - it was right in the middle. 

Here's what you'll need to do.

For each 1.5 cups of vodka, you'll need 2 vanilla beans.

We poured 3 cups of vodka into a quart jar. 

We then sliced the beans down the middle and scrape the bean. 

 

We added the inside to the jar, then cut the scraped bean into 2 inch pieces and added that to the jar.

 



Next, just shake.

Label the jar with both the start and end date.

That's it.  Now the jars will sit in my cool, dark pantry for six months.  I give them a shake daily for the first month, then once a week for two months, then monthly of whenever you think about it. 

In six months, I'll strain it and have nice real vanilla extract.  For a fraction of the cost!

I'm planning on giving it as gifts in jelly jars for Christmas. 

I'll let you know how it works out...... in six months.

My plan to pull off Easter dinner.....and still enjoy Easter!

Just curious, how many of you are fixing Easter dinner? 

Here's the thing:  I want to fix Easter dinner
                            I want to go to Sonrise service
                            I want to actually enjoy church
                            I want to have family over for dinner before Ronnie goes to work.

What I don't want to do is be stressed out and grouchy with my family because of it!

My plan to pull this off started with my menu.  I chose items that can mostly be done ahead of time.

This Easter, I'm making ham, sweet potato casserole, green beans, honey carrots, deviled eggs, rolls and eclair cake.   Everything I'm preparing can either be made ahead or made in the crock pot while we're at church. 

Here's the breakdown of how I'm going to pull this off:

Saturday:  Make rolls, eclair cake and sweet potato casserole.   I'll also go ahead and make iced tea and kool-aid.  Before bed, I'll set the table for Easter dinner.  Oh, and my mom is making the deviled eggs.

Sunday:  Bright and early, I'll start the ham in the big crock pot.  All I do is add the ham, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and 2 cups pineapple juice.  I'll also throw the green beans, a couple of pieces of bacon and some water in one side of my double crock, and a quart of my canned carrots, with honey and butter in the other side.  Put all on low to cook while we're gone. 

No need to worry about breakfast for the family.  We have an all church breakfast  following Sonrise service.

After church, all I need to do is throw the sweet potato casserole in the oven to warm up while I plate the rest of the meal. 

That's my plan. 

How are you pulling off Easter dinner this year?

Slow cooker freezer meals.

I've spent the past few months pinning slow cooker freezer meals on Pinterest. 

Monday, while I was thawing ten pounds of pork loin to repackage, I figured there was no better time than the present to try making some meals. 

Here's the cast of characters:

 

 I gathered up Ziploc baggies, pork loin, garlic, oil, cornstarch, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, ground cloves and pepper.

The most time consuming part was cubing the pork loin.  After that it was simply label the bag (I added the cooking instructions on it with a Sharpie), dump in the ingredients, remove the air and seal. 

I was able to finish six meals in under thirty minutes....despite three phone calls and this:

Here's what I ended up with.....as well as my minimal mess:

Not too shabby.  If you include my clean up time - putting things away and loading the dishwasher - it's still under forty minutes. 

Here are the links to the recipes I used:
Homemaking on the Homestead
Sweet surprise Iowa chops

Beans, beans and more beans.

This week, I bought a 20 pound bag of pinto beans.  Yep, you read that right.  20 pounds. 

It was only $6.89 for the entire bag.  That works out to 34 cents per pound for beans.  Now that's a bargain. 

So, are you wondering what in the world I'm going to do with that many beans? 

My plan is to make some, freeze some and store some.  Let me explain.

Beans can stretch your budget beyond far.  They are cheap, filling and a great source of protein. 

One of my favorite bean recipes is for re fried beans.  Here's what I do:

Use about 2 pounds of beans, cover with water and let soak overnight.  In the morning, drain, put in the crock pot and add water until just covered.  Then add in one chopped onion, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 TBSP minced garlic. 

Let cook on low all day.  Check often to make sure they don't dry out.  If needed, add some water.  Not too much though...your not making soup.

When they're good and soft, mash with a potato masher. 
If they seem too soupy, put them on the stove to cook down to the right consistency.

Did you notice they're not actually re fried?  Unlike what you get in the restaurants and canned in the grocery store, these don't contain lard.  That's right.  Lard free beans.  That's a good thing.

I then let them cool and use them for all kinds of things: 
Bean burritos, tostados, a side dish.  Sometimes I serve them warmed up with a can of tomatoes on top of rice.  Quick and easy lunch.

You can use regular pinto beans in chili, add them to taco meat to stretch a meal, and don't forget the WV staple - soup beans and cornbread. 

I'm also going to store some dry beans in my canning jars.  If kept dry, beans have a very long shelf life. 



Bean Tostado from Good Cheap Eats

 So don't forget to add beans to your shopping list this week!

Easy lunch ideas.

My friend Erica brought up the dreaded subject of lunch today.  I don't know about you, but I have a hard time figuring out what to make for lunch.  When school starts, the problem multiplies by 10.  I don't want to take the time to make an elaborate lunch on any day, but especially not in the middle of school. 

Here are some ideas that I use for lunches:

PB & Banana with carrot sticks and dip- a more healthy twist on an old favorite.
Chicken nuggets and fruit - I make these up in big batches & freeze to use later. 
Corn dog muffins with apples & PB.
Fruit plate and yogurt.
Taco salad - this is just lettuce with Italian dressing, topped with corn chips, taco meat and veggies.  They love this one.
Pizza bagels and fruit - this one is a throwback to my high school days with Mazza's pizza buns.  It's just bagels with a little sauce, cheese & pepperoni thrown under the broiler for a minute or two. 
Cheese or bean & cheese quesadilla with PB celery.
Mac & cheese and fruit.
Beans & rice - whatever beans I have cooked over rice with a little cheese sprinkled on top.
Grilled cheese sandwiches with soup.


My most useful idea is to use the cheapo Ziploc divided containers for make ahead lunches.  Think "Lunchables", but cheaper and hopefully healthier.

Leftover pizza, strawberries and pretzels.

I like to use leftovers for these.  It's easier to make a little extra to use for lunches than to make a whole new meal the next day. 

My last lazy lunch idea involves my small crock pot.  In Winter, I've been known to use my crock pot to warm up soup or chili that I've frozen or even make canned soup in the crock pot.  I know, it's not like it takes a ton of time to make canned soup, but if it's doing it's thing on low in the kitchen then all I have to do is add some crackers and pour it into bowls.  No big deal.  I start it before the kids wake up and it's just right for lunch.  I do try to thaw any frozen soups first or start it on high as soon as I get up.

Hopefully I've given you a few new ideas to try.  If you have any great standby lunches, be sure to leave a comment.

Birthday Cake Extravaganza!

I was going through my pictures and decided to share some favorite birthday cakes that I have made. 

My technique has improved as time has gone by....they're not quite as lop-sided as John's Spiderman cake.  But, look at that sweet face - that was one excited 4 year old!

This baseball cake was made for a friend's son.  I made a yellow cake on the bottom for the base and cut the glove out of a round chocolate cake.  I tried my best to make a baseball from a snowball snack cake, but it just wasn't working.  I used a real baseball instead.

This was Josiah's 3rd birthday cake.  All he wanted for his birthday was candy, so I made a double layer chocolate round cake with a very thin layer of chocolate icing and covered it with Kit Kats and M&M's.  The bow was just cute and helped the Kit Kats stay in place.

This picture is actually for my friend's daughter's baby shower, but I really like how it turned out.  It's two pumpkin bundt cakes stacked on top of each other and drizzled with a simple glaze.

Sorry about this picture quality.  This is from Josiah's 2nd birthday.  Mickey Mouse cupcakes.  Cupcakes with Oreo ears.  Simple.

This is an example of my "easy cake".  I ordered the icing sheet from EBay and put it on top of a sheet cake.  I think it's just as good as a bakery cake and it takes very little time to make.  It fed over 30 people with leftovers for less than $20.

Even with the cost of the icing sheets, it's still a better price to make our own birthday cakes.

I love to see their faces light up when they see what I've made them. 

Try it for your next party!

Here's a closer look at Spiderman:

My first gluten free cookies.

I love to bake.  There's nothing better than the smell of homemade breads, cookies or pies coming from my kitchen.  Which is all the more reason this gluten free change is giving me some trouble. 

I've seen online all the recipes to combine rice flour and all kinds of other things together to make a flour like alternative to bake with, but I don't want to go to the expense of that until I see if Josh has any improvement. 

I have resorted to....a box mix.  Now, I actually do use cake mixes some, but I always add to them to make them taste more homemade.  Seeing how gluten free baking is totally new to me, I decided to listen to the good folks at Betty Crocker for this batch of cookies.

After following the directions on the box, here's what I had:

A disastrously crumbly mess.  The box did say mixture would be crumbly, but really?  I had my doubts.  I squished crumbs together and place them on my baking sheets.



Don't be grossed out, my cookie sheets are clean - they just get a lot of use.




I baked my squishy cookies for 13 minutes @ 350. 

Imagine my surprise when they actually looked, and more importantly, tasted good.  We enjoyed them with a glass of milk.  Josh was relieved.  When I told him earlier that he would be taking his own snack to church, I think he imagined a lunch box full of brussel sprouts.  I'm trying my best to show him we're just making a few changes to help him feel better.  We will still have a very normal life.  Well, normal for us.

Cookies!
Charli



Don't forget to stop by Trinity tomorrow for the yard sale.  Over 20 families in one place.  Hope to see you there.

A Family Favorite

It's already been a busy week and it's only Wednesday.  Today I thought I would share one of my family's favorite recipes. 
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken
3-5 frozen chicken breast
1 cup Italian dressing
1 block cream cheese
1 bag cooked egg noodles.
It doesn't get much easier - or yummier - than this.  Spray your crock with cooking spray to make clean up easier.  Throw in the frozen chicken breast and Italian dressing.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.  When done, shred chicken with fork and add cream cheese.  Stir until melted.  Serve over egg noodles. 
If you have any concerns about cooking frozen chicken in the crock pot, don't do it.  I use this recipe at least monthly on days I work and we have never had any issues.
This feeds the 5 of us with enough leftovers for Ronnie's lunch the next day.
Let me know if you like it too!
Charli

Something new.

Ronnie is turkey hunting today. All I really have to do is finish & deliver a Batman birthday cake this morning. Don't get me wrong, I could do lots of things that need done - cleaning closets, painting porch railing - really the list is almost endless. But instead, I have decided to try my hand at freezer cooking today.

On the list for today:
Pizza kits - shredded cheese, sauce, & dough
Banana bread
Applesauce bread
Breakfast cookies
Oven french toast
Chicken Bacon Sub
Garlic bread
Shredded chicken - for salads, tacos, sandwiches
Marinated chicken tenders
Red sauce - for pizza or spaghetti/pasta
Hamburger patties
Lasagna
Taco meat
Protien bars
Chocolate chip cookie dough (maybe)
Cinnamon rolls (maybe)

While not a complete menu, I think it's a good start to help me out during the month. I'm also planning on taking a lot of it to the beach in a cooler. That way I can save money by cooking at the beach house, and still have a bit of vacation for myself from cooking 3 times a day. I went to the store yesterday and stocked up on some good buys, and of course we still have Luscious Lucinda in the freezer for all our beef needs. I hit Walmart at just the right time and picked up 6 loafs of French & Italian bread for $0.90 a loaf, which will be our french toast, subs & garlic bread. I also picked up almost 10 pounds of very ripe bananas at Shop & Save for $0.29 a pound that will go into the banana bread (obviously) and the protein bars. I have 4 episodes of TUFF puppy and 3 GodRocks Bibletoons DVR'd for the boys and a new bone for the dog. That should buy me at least 3 hours of minimal distraction time.
Ronnie wants to go get our garden vegetables in the evening, so I'm going to do all I can and call it quits at 2pm.
I'll let you know how it goes - if I have the energy to post after all that cooking!

Blessings!
Charli

Update:
It's 11:19am and I am calling it quits. Ronnie came home early from hunting. He and the boys are taking me out to dinner for Mother's Day and to get the plants for our garden. That's way more important than my to do list.
Here's what I've accomplished today:
4 containers red sauce
4 complete pizza kits - dough, sauce, cheese
4 garlic bread
1 pan lasagna
1 pan cream cheese chicken
2 dozen banana muffin
2 chicken bacon subs
6 bags french toast
1 bag Dijon marinated chicken tenders
3 bags marinated chicken breast

Not too bad. I also made & delivered the Batman cake and quickly stopped at a yard sale on the way home. I got some great Tupperware and magazine holders for the schoolroom, as well as a couple other items. Ronnie is taking a nap while I clean up the kitchen (and myself). All in all, a pretty good day. I'm excited to see if this ends up being a day to day help or not. I might start scheduling a cooking day and a baking day monthly. We'll see.
Hey, did you hear that? That's my dirty kitchen calling my name.
Have a great Saturday!